The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners has authorized an additional $15,000 in funding for its board of ethics.

That is on top of $17,000 allocated to the board in the county’s 2013 budget, county spokesman Burke Brennan said last week.

In August, interim county CEO Lee May and several commissioners said their form of government lends itself to political and personal influence. They were speaking during a press conference after a grand jury report outlined several criminal allegations against county contractors, employees and the county’s suspended CEO.

Brennan said $6,000 of the additional funding is being drawn from the board of commissioners’ budget and an administrative expense account is paying for the rest.

“The people of DeKalb County want to see this ethics board get on its feet and become active and viable,” May said in a statement.

According to the county’s website, the board of ethics is responsible for issuing advisory opinions and addressing complaints filed against commissioners and other county employees, among other things.

Members are appointed and approved to serve on the ethics board by county commissioners, Brennan said.

“The funding that was approved today gets them the resources they need and sets the bar for funding in 2014,” May said. “We’ve nearly doubled our financial commitment to this cause.”

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